When it comes to documenting text, it’s either Microsoft Word or Google Docs that comes to our minds. These two-word processors have always been an important part of the computing world and have proved to be highly useful for formatting text. So, which one of these is your go-to? or which of these do you see as the winner? This article will break down the comparison into key areas to be looked into for the best decision.
Cost
To start with, Office comes in either a 2016 software suite or with the monthly subscription to Office 365. On the other hand, Google Docs is completely free to use. To use Google Docs you just need a Google account, which you probably already have. For your information, the Office does have an official free version called Office Online. However, it does not have all the features of Office 365, but it is still free to use.
Offline Capabilities
Let’s discuss how nicely each of these suits can behave without an internet connection. It seems Office’s desktop software is not very demanding and allows you to use all its features without any internet requirement. All you need is a system to work in Microsoft’s Office. So, if you travel a lot for work, the Office should be best for you to work on. On the other hand, Google Docs is an online platform that does have offline capabilities. However, you will have to set up the option before going offline plus, you can only access the document that you opened recently while online. It is clearly understood that Google Docs is not going to get all your work done if working offline.
Templates
On one hand, Google Docs has a decent selection of templates and requires GSuit to make and save other templates. On the other hand, Office has a huge variety of templates to choose from plus you can make your own using the base product.
Collaborations
Gone are the days when Google Docs used to be the only platform offering online collaboration and allowing users to edit and share documents on a real-time basis. But how can Windows stay behind in the game? Since Google Docs took the public by storm, Windows has to do something to stay afloat in the market. So, Windows came out with the same feature with Office 365. Therefore, in regards to collaborations, both these word processors are quite the same. Except for the fact that Google Docs is more user inclusive, allowing access to the people of all operating systems in your document.
However, the Office requires users to have their copy of Office, to gain access to the collaborator’s document.
Functionality
The Office has comparatively many more functions than Google Docs. If you have basic work requirements, then you will find Google Docs to be more than enough. But in case, you need all the features and a perfectly curated document, the Office has better offerings for you.
So, coming down to which is the better out of two, it depends on a lot of things. Google Docs and Office are no less than each other, it is just that, they both suit different interest groups. In case, you are looking for a free word processor that is highly collaborative with other users and allows access to the cloud with hassle-free formatting on any given device, then Google Docs should do it for you. And if you want a more superior processor with plenty of easy to utilize options that can work efficiently without the internet, the Office can not be ignored.
Source-Microsoft Word vs Google Docs
